ENG-1947 — Page 109

With the increase in rice available, flour, which had been largely used as a substitute during 1946, was much less in demand. It remained on the ration, although this was reduced in January from 4 ounces to 3 ounces, and the price remained comparatively stable. Sugar and butter also remained on the ration, supplies being adequate if by no means plentiful.

Local supplies improved considerably and, although prices remained fairly high, the quantity of vegetables, fish and local meat reaching the markets increased considerably. Owing to the nature of these commodities and the fact that the greater part originated in China, nothing could be done to ration or control their prices. Groundnut oil supplies did not improve to the same extent.

While supplies of food in the market were apparently plentiful, this was true only in the context of ruling prices, which severely limit the amount the poor could afford to buy. The high cost of food is one of the basic difficulties retarding further recovery, and Hong Kong, producing little itself and relying almost entirely on imports, is in a vulnerable position in this respect.

HOUSING.

Urban Housing.

The majority of the Chinese population lives in the older Chinese tenement houses of Victoria City and of Kowloon. These houses, originally built back to back, have since been provided with small yards and kitchens behind. In most cases there are no scavenging lanes although legislation passed after the houses were originally built makes the provision of scavenging lanes obligatory. The buildings vary in height from two to four storeys, the poorer section of the population being housed mainly in the upper floors. The ground floors are used mainly as shops or workplaces. Each floor is sub-divided into rooms or cubicles of 64 square feet and usually accommodates not less than three or four families. A communal kitchen is provided but in the old type of building no provision is made for latrine or ablution accommodation. For this reason, public latrines and bath houses have been erected in the poorer class districts. Buildings of this type are very gradually disappear- ing, to be replaced by more modern structures. Virtually all such tenement houses are owned by Chinese landlords, though some of the larger industrial undertakings, both Chinese and European, provide satisfactory living accommodation for their employees. A large proportion of the city of Victoria, particu- larly in the central districts, was built in the early days of the Colony when town planning was little practised, even in Europe, and the major defects of housing are due to the absence at that time of planning and of modern legislation. The Public Health and Buildings Ordinance of 1903 was framed to conform with the standards of structure and hygiene which were then accepted. In the light of modern practice, many of these pro-

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